Setsuna sighed and looked at the empty portal entrance.
Faint glowing lines of energy sped up and down the outline of the
portal, giving the impression of movement. Setsuna knew better. The
portal was a very special device that she had created years back, when
she first learned Temporal High Mastery. Only one person could move
through it, and they could only move in one direction, to the past.
In conjunction with Setsuna's melding spell, she was able to meld with
her future selves to further her knowledge and power. However, if her
future self did not use the portal, then it was as good as useless.
She had been waiting for thirty years since her last visit, but no one
had appeared. Setsuna was starting to get worried. If she did not find
a solution to the problem in the future, then she knew she would never
find one.
Setsuna began pacing back and forth through the small pocket universe,
unable to contain her impatience. If she only had a companion to wait
with her; but that was impossible. No other person could ever
understand the trials she had been through, not even the Temporal
Masters she had encountered. Of course, those Masters were far below
her skill level, but Setsuna had kept a small hope that one might have a
similar background.
The portal flared suddenly, jolting Setsuna from her thoughts. She ran
eagerly over to the glowing portal.
She crossed her fingers. "Future Self, please let this be you."
Setsuna caught her breath when she saw a hunched over figure emerge from
the portal.
As sudden as it had begun, the glow faded to nothingness.
Setsuna looked at the face of her Future, and asked, "Have you solved
the problem?"
The Future Setsuna looked up. Setsuna gasped at her Future Self's
haggard appearance.
"What happened to you?"
Future Setsuna shook her head. "We have no time for questions. Let us
meld and be done with it."
Setsuna looked at her Future Self with a strange look. "What do you
mean? We have all the time in the Multiverse."
Future Setsuna laughed silently. "I wish it were so." She looked
around. "Before the meld, I have something I need to show you." The
temporally displaced traveler held out her staff, which glowed with an
eldritch light.
The walls blurred and Setsuna found herself standing in a strange room,
with transparent walls. She peered out and tried to focus on the
numerous lights and colorful threads.
She gasped and whirled to her future self. "These are all the Temporal
and Universal Threads! How did you construct this place?" Setsuna
stopped. "Wait, never mind. I'll know after we meld. So, if there's
nothing else you need to show me?"
Her Future Self shook her head, and spoke softly, "No, you will
hopefully be able to use this matrix and my accumulated knowledge to
finally solve the problem."
The two Temporal High Masters approached each other and held one staff
to the other. They began to glow and Setsuna felt the familiar blurring
of reality.
With a flash of green light, the two Setsunas vanished, leaving a single
one in their stead.
Setsuna looked grimly at one single seemingly unremarkable thread.
"It's time to get to work."
-----------------------------------------
Skeldas strained to looked at the minute battles occurring what must
have been trillions of light years away. He shook his head in
frustration, and growled, "How am I supposed to monitor this blasted
universe when I can't even see it properly?"
A low chuckling voice sounded from behind Skeldas. He recognized that
sound, the sound of pure concentrated evil.
"Having trouble, Skeldas? Perhaps you might need to be replaced."
Skeldas sweated. "No, sire. Of course not, sire. Everything under
control, sire."
The chuckling moved to face Skeldas, as though a small black hole was
moving through the air. "It better be, Skeldas. This operation is far
too important to even lose a moment of time. Even in this time we've
been talking, valuable seconds have spun by, while you haven't been
watching."
Skeldas's mouth hung open in disbelief. "But nothing could have
happened in that short amount of time."
The chuckling intensified to a feverish pitch, forcing Skeldas to his
knees. "You must be punished, Skeldas, replaced, exterminated."
Skeldas could not even scream as the darkness slammed into him, burning
away his life. He felt light-headed, and realized that he was flying.
A sickly grin came to the blasted one's face when he suddenly slammed
into the ground. Without warning, another figure appeared beside him,
extending an arm.
Skeldas shrank back in fear, and tried unsuccessfully to get to his
feet.
The figure sighed. "I am sorry. I am not here to drain you, I am here
to help you escape your master's tyranny."
Skeldas spoke in a wavering voice, "But tyranny is our way of life.
Without it, our kind has no structure at all. I performed badly, so I
was punished." Skeldas nodded his burnt head grimly. "Yes, tyranny is
life."
Somehow, Skeldas could make out a smile from the figure, who's voice
echoed in Skeldas' head.
"It doesn't have to be."
-----------------------------------------
A lone figure sat on the edge of a great cliff, staring at the black
tumultuous sea before him. Millions of figures from universes far and
beyond swam through the mystical waters. The sea showed a window into
the souls of individuals from all universes, a magical way of seeing
trillions upon trillions of souls at once. The man pulled his cloak, as
dark as the sea before him, around his shoulders, shivering, but not
from the cold. Here and there, another figure in the waters vanished as
they died or were killed. The man was not looking for that all-too-
common sight, he was looking for something rare and unique, a death that
was not quite death.
A female figure draped in a flowing black dress approached the watcher.
She knelt and put a hand on his shoulder.
"You've been out for here for a long time, and you still haven't seen
any corruption. Don't you think it's time you took a break, and maybe
rethink this whole idea?"
The man's face darkened. "I don't think so. I've spent far too much
time already 'taking a break' as you put it. I can't afford to miss a
single second. The corruption moves incredibly quickly. Once it
starts, there is very little time left."
The woman sighed and scanned the waters. "Very well, if you insist on
this foolhardy notion, at least let me help you."
The man smiled at his companion. "I would appreciate that greatly," he
said.
The two sat and stared out at the endless ocean, each with their own
abilities of perception.
After many hours, the man grabbed the woman's shoulder. "Do you see
that?"
The woman focused on the waters, and gasped. "I do!"
Before their eyes, one figure hardened and began to blacken.
The two looked at each other.
"I have to go."
"I know."
Faint glowing lines of energy sped up and down the outline of the
portal, giving the impression of movement. Setsuna knew better. The
portal was a very special device that she had created years back, when
she first learned Temporal High Mastery. Only one person could move
through it, and they could only move in one direction, to the past.
In conjunction with Setsuna's melding spell, she was able to meld with
her future selves to further her knowledge and power. However, if her
future self did not use the portal, then it was as good as useless.
She had been waiting for thirty years since her last visit, but no one
had appeared. Setsuna was starting to get worried. If she did not find
a solution to the problem in the future, then she knew she would never
find one.
Setsuna began pacing back and forth through the small pocket universe,
unable to contain her impatience. If she only had a companion to wait
with her; but that was impossible. No other person could ever
understand the trials she had been through, not even the Temporal
Masters she had encountered. Of course, those Masters were far below
her skill level, but Setsuna had kept a small hope that one might have a
similar background.
The portal flared suddenly, jolting Setsuna from her thoughts. She ran
eagerly over to the glowing portal.
She crossed her fingers. "Future Self, please let this be you."
Setsuna caught her breath when she saw a hunched over figure emerge from
the portal.
As sudden as it had begun, the glow faded to nothingness.
Setsuna looked at the face of her Future, and asked, "Have you solved
the problem?"
The Future Setsuna looked up. Setsuna gasped at her Future Self's
haggard appearance.
"What happened to you?"
Future Setsuna shook her head. "We have no time for questions. Let us
meld and be done with it."
Setsuna looked at her Future Self with a strange look. "What do you
mean? We have all the time in the Multiverse."
Future Setsuna laughed silently. "I wish it were so." She looked
around. "Before the meld, I have something I need to show you." The
temporally displaced traveler held out her staff, which glowed with an
eldritch light.
The walls blurred and Setsuna found herself standing in a strange room,
with transparent walls. She peered out and tried to focus on the
numerous lights and colorful threads.
She gasped and whirled to her future self. "These are all the Temporal
and Universal Threads! How did you construct this place?" Setsuna
stopped. "Wait, never mind. I'll know after we meld. So, if there's
nothing else you need to show me?"
Her Future Self shook her head, and spoke softly, "No, you will
hopefully be able to use this matrix and my accumulated knowledge to
finally solve the problem."
The two Temporal High Masters approached each other and held one staff
to the other. They began to glow and Setsuna felt the familiar blurring
of reality.
With a flash of green light, the two Setsunas vanished, leaving a single
one in their stead.
Setsuna looked grimly at one single seemingly unremarkable thread.
"It's time to get to work."
-----------------------------------------
Skeldas strained to looked at the minute battles occurring what must
have been trillions of light years away. He shook his head in
frustration, and growled, "How am I supposed to monitor this blasted
universe when I can't even see it properly?"
A low chuckling voice sounded from behind Skeldas. He recognized that
sound, the sound of pure concentrated evil.
"Having trouble, Skeldas? Perhaps you might need to be replaced."
Skeldas sweated. "No, sire. Of course not, sire. Everything under
control, sire."
The chuckling moved to face Skeldas, as though a small black hole was
moving through the air. "It better be, Skeldas. This operation is far
too important to even lose a moment of time. Even in this time we've
been talking, valuable seconds have spun by, while you haven't been
watching."
Skeldas's mouth hung open in disbelief. "But nothing could have
happened in that short amount of time."
The chuckling intensified to a feverish pitch, forcing Skeldas to his
knees. "You must be punished, Skeldas, replaced, exterminated."
Skeldas could not even scream as the darkness slammed into him, burning
away his life. He felt light-headed, and realized that he was flying.
A sickly grin came to the blasted one's face when he suddenly slammed
into the ground. Without warning, another figure appeared beside him,
extending an arm.
Skeldas shrank back in fear, and tried unsuccessfully to get to his
feet.
The figure sighed. "I am sorry. I am not here to drain you, I am here
to help you escape your master's tyranny."
Skeldas spoke in a wavering voice, "But tyranny is our way of life.
Without it, our kind has no structure at all. I performed badly, so I
was punished." Skeldas nodded his burnt head grimly. "Yes, tyranny is
life."
Somehow, Skeldas could make out a smile from the figure, who's voice
echoed in Skeldas' head.
"It doesn't have to be."
-----------------------------------------
A lone figure sat on the edge of a great cliff, staring at the black
tumultuous sea before him. Millions of figures from universes far and
beyond swam through the mystical waters. The sea showed a window into
the souls of individuals from all universes, a magical way of seeing
trillions upon trillions of souls at once. The man pulled his cloak, as
dark as the sea before him, around his shoulders, shivering, but not
from the cold. Here and there, another figure in the waters vanished as
they died or were killed. The man was not looking for that all-too-
common sight, he was looking for something rare and unique, a death that
was not quite death.
A female figure draped in a flowing black dress approached the watcher.
She knelt and put a hand on his shoulder.
"You've been out for here for a long time, and you still haven't seen
any corruption. Don't you think it's time you took a break, and maybe
rethink this whole idea?"
The man's face darkened. "I don't think so. I've spent far too much
time already 'taking a break' as you put it. I can't afford to miss a
single second. The corruption moves incredibly quickly. Once it
starts, there is very little time left."
The woman sighed and scanned the waters. "Very well, if you insist on
this foolhardy notion, at least let me help you."
The man smiled at his companion. "I would appreciate that greatly," he
said.
The two sat and stared out at the endless ocean, each with their own
abilities of perception.
After many hours, the man grabbed the woman's shoulder. "Do you see
that?"
The woman focused on the waters, and gasped. "I do!"
Before their eyes, one figure hardened and began to blacken.
The two looked at each other.
"I have to go."
"I know."